Steven Wright

Anyone who's never seen Steven Wright before will probably be pleasantly surprised by the novel sight of this near catatonic figure whose lips hatch mental bubbles of bizarre non sequiturs, such as "I dreamed I was the captain of a boat inside a bottle," as though the single last spark of resistance against the frozen tundra of despair resided in the stark one-liner.

For its comedy issue last year, GQ magazine reviewed more than 23,000 jokes--everything from one-liners to just plain witty remarks--gleaned from books, the Internet and audio- and videotaped performances. The magazine also polled dozens of humorists and comedians. The result was what GQ called "the 75 funniest jokes of all time." Comedian Steven Wright--he of the deadpan, what's-the-hurry delivery--had five jokes in the top 75, including No. 5: "If I ever had twins, I'd use one for parts." No.

For its comedy issue last year, GQ magazine reviewed more than 23,000 jokes--everything from one-liners to just plain witty remarks--gleaned from books, the Internet and audio- and videotaped performances. The magazine also polled dozens of humorists and comedians. The result was what GQ called "the 75 funniest jokes of all time." Comedian Steven Wright--he of the deadpan, what's-the-hurry delivery--had five jokes in the top 75, including No. 5: "If I ever had twins, I'd use one for parts." No.

April 4, 1990 | BETH KLEID, Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press

Lampoon Picks the Right Comedian: The Harvard Lampoon will dub Steven Wright as its Comedian of the Year at a Friday ceremony. Wright joins such entertainers as Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Jay Leno, John Candy and Christopher Guest who all have come to Harvard to receive humor awards from the Lampoon. Wright will be presented with his award in a ceremony following his concert at Harvard's Sanders Theater. The Lampoon is the nation's oldest humor magazine.

The Harvard Lampoon will dub Steven Wright as its Comedian of the Year at a ceremony Friday. Wright joins such entertainers as Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, John Clease, Jay Leno, John Candy and Christopher Guest, who all have come to Harvard to receive humor awards from the Lampoon. Wright will be presented with his award in a ceremony after his concert at Harvard's Sanders Theater.

April 4, 1990 | BETH KLEID, Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press

Lampoon Picks the Right Comedian: The Harvard Lampoon will dub Steven Wright as its Comedian of the Year at a Friday ceremony. Wright joins such entertainers as Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Jay Leno, John Candy and Christopher Guest who all have come to Harvard to receive humor awards from the Lampoon. Wright will be presented with his award in a ceremony following his concert at Harvard's Sanders Theater. The Lampoon is the nation's oldest humor magazine.

Steven Wright has enjoyed an enormous groundswell of success from brief TV and club appearances in which his string of imaginative one-liners suggests a mind that can shake the fat of habit out of language and lead us to see how tenuous common phrases and assumptions can be. For example, when a traffic cop asks him, "Did you know the speed limit is 55 miles an hour?" he replies, "Yeah, but I'm not gonna be out that long."

Emo Philips hates to break character. That character, as played by the slow-speaking, gangly comedian in Page Boy and mismatched thrift-shop garb, is an otherworldly, helpless innocent, battling a persecution complex while making absurd observations about everything from physics to cole slaw. Add to the mix his deliberate delivery, and Philips comes across like a sort of Rodney Dangerfield on Valium. ("When I was 10, my parents moved to Downers Grove, Ill. When I was 12, I found them."

June 3, 1992 | BETH KLEID, Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press

Laughing With Lily: Lily Tomlin will host the 10th Annual Montreal Comedy Festival special, set to air on Showtime in August. The show will be the grand finale of a two-week comedy fest in Montreal. Leading comedians are expected to take part; past events have attracted Bob Newhart, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Wright and John Candy.

March 9, 1990 | Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press. BETH KLEID

What a Relief: The line-up for Comic Relief '90 was set Thursday. Louie Anderson, Bob Goldthwait, Richard Lewis, Paula Poundstone, Rita Rudner, Bob Saget, Steven Wright and Robert Wuhl will join hosts Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams in the fourth comedy event to raise awareness and funds for America's homeless. The show airs May 12 on HBO, as it is presented to a live audience at Radio City Music Hall in New York. r

The Harvard Lampoon will dub Steven Wright as its Comedian of the Year at a ceremony Friday. Wright joins such entertainers as Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, John Clease, Jay Leno, John Candy and Christopher Guest, who all have come to Harvard to receive humor awards from the Lampoon. Wright will be presented with his award in a ceremony after his concert at Harvard's Sanders Theater.

Anyone who's never seen Steven Wright before will probably be pleasantly surprised by the novel sight of this near catatonic figure whose lips hatch mental bubbles of bizarre non sequiturs, such as "I dreamed I was the captain of a boat inside a bottle," as though the single last spark of resistance against the frozen tundra of despair resided in the stark one-liner.

Emo Philips hates to break character. That character, as played by the slow-speaking, gangly comedian in Page Boy and mismatched thrift-shop garb, is an otherworldly, helpless innocent, battling a persecution complex while making absurd observations about everything from physics to cole slaw. Add to the mix his deliberate delivery, and Philips comes across like a sort of Rodney Dangerfield on Valium. ("When I was 10, my parents moved to Downers Grove, Ill. When I was 12, I found them."

Steven Wright has enjoyed an enormous groundswell of success from brief TV and club appearances in which his string of imaginative one-liners suggests a mind that can shake the fat of habit out of language and lead us to see how tenuous common phrases and assumptions can be. For example, when a traffic cop asks him, "Did you know the speed limit is 55 miles an hour?" he replies, "Yeah, but I'm not gonna be out that long."

It's a busy week for concert promoter Avalon Attractions. Tickets go on sale Thursday for two Avalon shows at the California Theatre downtown: New Wavers the Smithereens Oct. 3 and comedian Steven Wright Oct. 15. A day later, on Friday, the box office opens for punk pioneer Iggy Pop's Oct. 6 appearance, also at the California, with the Jesus and Mary Chain. And on Saturday, tickets go on sale for the Oct. 12 concert by heavy metalists Judas Priest and Slayer at the San Diego Sports Arena . . .

The Placentia Mustangs defeated the San Diego Stars, 13-10, to win the 14-and-under AAU baseball World Series Saturday in Chicasha, Okla. In the semifinals, Placentia's Brian Jackson earned the victory in a 13-3 victory over the Fullerton Stingers. Fullerton defeated Powder Springs, Ga., 10-9, to finish third. Placentia's Matt Lawson was named tournament MVP.